


distant fairytale

by bisexualklausmikaelson



Category: The Originals (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 07:22:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15625644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualklausmikaelson/pseuds/bisexualklausmikaelson
Summary: This time, he arrives on the day of her wedding with Jackson, that moment where she had looked at him from across the room, when he almost stopped the ceremony to tell her that he loved her.





	distant fairytale

**Author's Note:**

> au/ or Freya casts a time travel spell to help Klaus bring Hayley back, needless to say he gets stuck in a time loop

― 

The first time he goes back - he goes back too far.

(She’s sitting at Rousseau’s - laughing and Declan has a hand resting on her inner thigh. He’s leaning in close, too close. And Klaus needs to tame his anger because he’s not even supposed to be here. He’s supposed to be doing book signings in Monaco, he’s supposed to be off killing a bunch of tourists in New Zealand, having a blood binge with men and women alike, he’s supposed to be anywhere else).

“I haven’t felt this way about someone in a long time,” she says to Declan.

And they press foreheads together, he’s brushing his lips against hers. It’s their first kiss - her first kiss since Elijah. 

(Klaus clenches his fists, and just in time, Freya pulls him back in for another timeline).

― 

The second time he goes back - he goes back too late.

(She’s burning - ashes to ashes, dust to dust - her corpse aflame creates images of her last moments in his mind’s eye. Dames dancing, bears chanting, hallucinations of other lives they lives flashing right before him).

“NO!” Klaus shouts again, uncontrollably. 

And, in his very long life, there are only a handful of moments that he would never want to relive. Henrik’s death, killing his own biological father, Mikael’s abuse, Rebekah’s betrayal and this.

(Hayley dies right in front of his eyes. He takes a minute to cry before he goes back).

― 

The third time, he’s holding her in his arms and he’s not sure where they are.

Hope is maybe around seven years old - running around what he presumes is their apartment, chasing another child. A little boy; he has Henrik’s eyes, and Kol’s good hair. He has Rebekah’s bright smile and Elijah’s elegance. In this scenario, Hayley holds the little boy and kisses his cheek.

Only then does Klaus realize just how much they look alike.

Maybe - this is the non existent timeline where they are actually a normal family. They actually have another kid - they actually look so fucking happy.

(It takes him all his strength, all his might, all his will…every fiber of his being crumbles in order to walk away from this moment. As much as he loves it here with her, this isn’t right. This isn’t their future - it’s someone else’s).

― 

He spits, god-toothed frown and anguish.

“Freya, get it right this time.”

“I’m trying, Klaus, I just have no control on where you land.”

“Well then, try harder.”

“Maybe if I get Hope to help, she is a stronger witch than I am after all.”

“This is black magic, I can’t risk putting my daughter’s life at risk again. You know the consequences of dabbling in the dark arts.”

“I do.”

They both pause, looking at the sacrifices they made in order to bring Hayley back. Freya sighs, then, she meets her brother’s gaze.

“Ready to try this again?”

“Always.”

He’s confident with his response.

― 

This time, he’s arrives on the day of her wedding with Jackson, that moment where she had looked at him from across the room, when he almost stopped the ceremony to tell her that he loved her. His time with her is filled with so many ‘what-if’s that it’s almost tragic. It’s not even epic anymore - it’s just pathetic. 

He’s watching himself, watching her, marrying another man.

Just like he’s watching himself, watching her, building a home, raising their child, with another man. Another wolf, no less.

(He feels Freya’s hand wrap around his. 

She pulls him back).

― 

The first time they meet is unexpected. And maybe that’s what he should re-do, he should make it so they never meet. That’s what happens in the movies, after all. It doesn’t seems to work though, not entirely in the way one hopes anyway. Klaus never finished those rom-coms though, so he doesn’t know any better. He always fell asleep on Hayley’s shoulder while she and Hope kept watching. 

She shows up to his place right behind Tyler. Klaus bolts out of the room, faster than lightening.

(Turns out fate has different plans for him - they meet anyway - when he’s a famous painter having his solo show in Prague, and she’s there laughing drunkenly at his art. She tells him she’s been following his work for a while. That they both amuse and intrigue her. He doesn’t run back to his sister like he had planned. Klaus takes Hayley out for a drink instead).

― 

“Are you just gunna stare or are you gunna buy me a drink already?”

“That’s quite forward of you isn’t it, sweetheart?”

“Well, I’d rather you be direct with me than make me waste my time.”

“Fine, what do you want?”

“Any drink off the menu? Well that’s quite ballsy of you.”

“This might be my one chance to impress you, I might as well make it count.”

“One chance? Chill out, I’m not dying anytime soon.”

“Right.”

“Just get me a vodka cranberry, I’ll drain your bank account some other night.”

“I’ll hold you to that promise.”

― 

And they fall in to bed, quite naturally this time.

With her coquettish smile, his snarky wit. Eyes glinting in the moonlight as they undress - her lips are on his neck, biting softly, teasing. There is that moment where he remembers that, in this life, she’s still a wolf. And she’s not the young thing he bedded the night she betrayed Tyler.

She’s older now, with smile wrinkles decorating the edge of each eye. Klaus smiles too, she must laugh a lot in order to have so many of those. It means he gave her a happier life. One free from the Mikaelson name.

Until tonight.

― 

In the morning, he’s looking at her like she’s a love story.

“What are you thinking about? Going to ask me if I believe in love at first sight? Or first sex, rather. Whatever it is, the answer is no I do not. I’m a wolf you see, all of this is nothing but primal, my dear Nik.”

“Love? Who cares about love? My sweetest Andrea, I want to know if you believe in eternal damnation, in heartbreak, in loneliness. I want to know if you know what it’s like to mourn, to yearn hopelessly, to live in deep deep regret.”

Her eyes shift in color, tuning liquid gold at the sight of him.

“We’re never going to see each other again, are we?”

He sighs, fearing the look in her eyes.

“Maybe in our next lives.”

― 

(The last time he goes back, she’s walking towards him with a hand over her swollen belly - and yeah, that’s where it all started. Only this time, Klaus doesn’t run.

He walks towards her, palm resting over hers. 

“The girl is pregnant with your child.”

“I know,” he says, without hesitation. “I’m going to take care of you, and I’m going give this child everything they could ever ask for.”

Hayley doesn’t know what to say - she hadn’t expected this kind of reaction from him. But, she doesn’t question the only moment of peace he had offered her since this entire situation even started.

She slips her fingers into his and smiles.

And they begin again).

―


End file.
